San Jose’s waste processing efforts were diverting just 22 percent of commercial waste from landfill sites. ZWE is projected to increase the commercial diversion rate to 80 percent by 2014.

To achieve this, ZWE and its partners are largely exploring uncharted territory. “We need to make constant adjustments as we refine and improve our processes,” said Jeff Bogg, Vice President of Project Delivery for ZWE. “This means our mechanical requirements also are in flux. That’s why we value our relationship with G&M. They understand our need to change and adapt our systems, and their flexibility and responsiveness is helping propel us toward our goals.”

G&M is designing mechanical and electrical systems for the 100,000 square foot dry fermentation anaerobic digestion and composting facility – largest in the world and the first of its kind in the United States.

The finished facility will process up to 270,000 tons of organic waste per year, utilizing a receiving area for feedstock material delivery and storage; a large hall for staging, mixing, and moving materials; 16 dry fermentation digesters; an engine room with two combined heat and power units; and eight in vessel composting tunnels.

Critical to the ZWE dry fermentation process is maintenance of proper moisture levels and effective airflow. The entire building will be equipped with an air circulation and control system, with bio-filtered exhaust.

The new facility will power itself completely, while feeding electricity to the local power grid. A byproduct of fermentation, biogas will be combusted in the combined heat and power units to produce 1.6 megawatts of electricity.